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Mitsubishi Electric announced today that in late May it will begin sample sales of a new 10.4-inch XGA TFT-LCD module designed for use in harsh environments, including construction sites, heavy-duty vehicles, agricultural..
Tag Archives: Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Electric announced today that it has developed what is believed to be the world’s first diagnostic technology based on the company’s proprietary Maisart artificial intelligence (AI) technology that uses machine learning..
Mitsubishi Electric Develops Worlds First UI and App to Render Spoken Words Instantly as 3D Text in Live Video Recordings
Mitsubishi Electric announced today its newly developed SwipeTalk Air user interface (UI), which is believed to be the world’s first UI to use augmented reality (AR) technology to render spoken words instantly..
Mitsubishi Electric Develops World’s First Attack Algorithm for Sensors Used in Drones, Cars, Production Equipment and More
Mitsubishi Electric has developed world’s first sensor-security technology that detects measurement-data inconsistencies by embedding a proprietary algorithm in sensor fusion algorithms, which combine multiple sensors for measurements used in the automatic control..
Mitsubishi Electric has developed a device that passively controls rope sway when high-rise building elevator sway due to strong winds or long-period earthquakes. Negative stiffness is achieved by placing permanent magnets facing..
Mitsubishi Electric and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Japan, have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can reduce time for setting up factory-automation (FA) equipment. The..
Mitsubishi Electric has developed a multi-layered defense technology that protects connected vehicles from cyber attacks by strengthening their head unit’s defense capabilities. The new technology requires less than 10% of the time..
Mitsubishi Electric has developed a smart, natural human machine interface (HMI) for cars by applying its Maisart proprietary compact artificial-intelligence (AI) technologies for smart mobility. After recognizing the direction that the driver..
Mitsubishi Electric announced today that it has established mass-production technology for a new curved (concave) color TFT-LCD module that combines environmental ruggedness to withstand extreme temperatures (from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius)..
Mitsubishi Electric and NTT DOCOMO Achieve World’s first 5G Transmission to Mobile Terminal Exceeding Peak Data Rate of 20Gbps
Mitsubishi Electric and NTT DOCOMO announced today that they have achieved what they believe to be the world’s first (as of today) fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecommunications proof of concept for 27Gbps and..


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Things have been relatively quiet on the Marvel's Avengers front as of late, but that is the last thing a studio wants when they are working on a live-service game. Developer Crystal Dynamics has assured devoted fans that more content would come to the title; however, the last big move made by the studio was putting Spider-Man into the game last fall.
Avengers has had an uphill battle since the game was released. It launched with a myriad of bugs, a lack of endgame content, and a take on iconic Marvel characters that had some fans up in arms.
The dev team has recovered some ground in the time since its release, putting out multiple expansions, new characters, as well as cosmetic add-ons pulled straight out of the MCU.
But a new problem has sprung up for the game that has Crystal Dynamics offering an interesting solution.
Delete Your Marvel's Avengers Save
A new bug discovered in the PlayStation 5 version of Marvel's Avengers has fans deleting their campaign progress as a workaround.
The bug causes stuttering and a crash upon loading into the game. A few hours after the issue came to light the Avenger team tweeted out saying they were "investigating the issue," saying gamers could "reset [their] campaign progress" as a temporary solution:
"Our team is continuing to investigate the issue causing a crash for some PS5 players. We think we've identified a fix that is currently being implemented/tested. We hope to have more news by tomorrow morning and will continue to keep you updated. In the meantime, here's a workaround that is resolving the issue for some players - just note that it will reset your campaign progress."
Crystal Dynamics has released a fix as of the time of writing, however, there are still reports of players encountering the issue:
"We have released an update on PS5 that addresses the crash issue that some players have been having. Please let us know if you continue to have the problem."
Avengers Cannot Catch a Break
For a game that has had a bumpy road up to this point, this is surely only going to make the frustrated fan even more frustrated. What should have been the ultimate Avengers game has turned into a bit of a punchline amongst the gaming community.
This may be the first time a developer has publicly told gamers to delete their progress in order to get past a bug that rendered a game unplayable. Sure, this ask isn't as big of a deal in Marvel's Avengers, as campaign and multiplayer progress are two separate things. With Avengers' focus on live-service elements (separate from the campaign), this means gamers wouldn't actually be losing that much, but it is still shocking as it comes across the Twitter timeline.
Now, the bug has been fixed, but this incident only adds more red to the ledger of a title that is already so reviled by many. At this point, it feels like there is no way to truly salvage this game.
With a contingent of the Crystal Dynamics team now helping Microsoft on The Initiative's Perfect Dark, it may be time to cut their losses and officially sunset Avengers before this shaky foundation crumbles even further.

domain: news


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[Photo by: tacobell/Twitter]
Those cheesy, wonderful Nacho Fries are officially Taco Bell's best-selling product ever. However, they'll be gone soon—but not for long, thank goodness.
Taco Bell shared the announcement on Twitter, and as Bustle explains, the cheesy fries will only be in restaurants for one more week, while supplies last.
But fans, don't be alarmed—they'll be back this summer. *whew*
— Taco Bell (@tacobell) March 27, 2018
Since its launch, over 53 million orders of Nacho Fries have been placed—that's 9 million pounds of potatos and 600,000 gallons of nacho cheese.
“We're seeing fries in one out of every three orders, compared to one out of every four for DLT,” a Taco Bell spokesman shared.
Yeah, it's pretty impressive. BRB as we go get some cheesy Nacho Fries ASAP.


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Amidst speculation around MS Paint disappearing soon, Microsoft has come straight upfront to settle down the confusion around it. Here’s the good news – Microsoft confirmed that MS Paint will not be taken down, besides, it’s only coming up with a better bigger version of the trusty old app into –Paint 3D program.
“Today, we’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint. If there’s anything we learned, it’s that after 32 years, MS Paint has a lot of fans.” Microsoft said in a blog post.
Microsoft further added stating that their 32 year-long-standing photo editing software MS Paint will not go anywhere. It will only get a new home, the Windows store, wherein the app will be available for free to the users.
MS Paint will be soon be replaced by Paint 3D, the new app for creativity, which will be available with the new Windows 10 creators update. “In addition to the new 3D capabilities, many of the MS Paint features people know and love like photo editing,lines and curve tools, and 2D creation are in Paint 3D” Microsoft blogged.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York state judge ruled on Tuesday that the privately held producer of AriZona iced tea should pay about $1 billion to buy out the half of the beverage maker owned by the co-founder and his son.
Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Driscoll arrived at the amount the company must pay John Ferolito and a trust benefiting his son after determining the value of Beverage Marketing USA Inc and its related entities approached $2 billion in 2010.
The valuation was below the $3.2 billion that Ferolito argued the company was worth but above the $426 million its managing co-founder, Domenick Vultaggio, had pegged as its value.
Driscoll’s ruling followed a nonjury trial and six years of litigation between Ferolito and Vultaggio, onetime friends from Brooklyn who launched AriZona in 1992. It is now the top-selling ready-to-drink tea in the United States.
Ferolito has argued the company was worth billions of dollars, pointing to offers from suitors including Tata Global Beverages Ltd, Nestlé SA and Coca-Cola Co.
Vultaggio countered that the company faced insolvency if valued too high. Driscoll declined to adjust the value of the Ferolitos’ shares based on that claim.
“Such an adjustment could provide Vultaggio with a windfall he could easily exploit if he decided to sell the shares he acquires from the Ferolito parties,” he said.
Both sides welcomed the ruling, although Vultaggio’s lawyer, Louis Solomon, said an appeal was possible.
“AriZona welcomes the fact that the court rejected the insane and fabricated valuations proposed by Ferolito while recognizing the true uniqueness of AriZona,” Solomon said in a statement.
Solomon pointed to part of the judge’s ruling where he said he would consider the company’s ability to pay during further proceedings to determine the exact amount owed and the terms and conditions of the payout. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Nicholas Gravante, a lawyer for Ferolito, said in a statement: “We are grateful for today’s decision that draws years of protracted, unnecessary litigation to a close.”
Woodbury, New York-based Beverage Marketing and its related companies have 1,000 employees and annual sales of $1 billion, Solomon has said.
AriZona had a 37.4 percent share for U.S. ready-to-drink tea by case volume in 2013, according to Beverage Digest, ranking No. 1 above PepsiCo Inc’s Lipton and Coca-Cola products.
In 1998, as part of an agreement in which Vultaggio would operate the company while Ferolito moved to Florida, the two agreed to restrict transferring company stock to outsiders.
By 2005, Ferolito wanted to sell his stake and began pushing for a corporate sale. Vultaggio refused, prompting Ferolito to ask a court to declare the stock sale restrictions unenforceable.
After unfavorable court rulings, Ferolito filed a lawsuit to dissolve Beverage Marketing. Vultaggio later elected under state law to buy out his partner.
The case is Ferolito v. AriZona Beverages USA LLC, et al, New York Supreme Court, Nassau County, No. 004058-12.
Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Meredith Mazzilli, David Ingram and Jonathan Oatis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Well, we've got less than a week before HALLOWEEN and I feel the need to shop s'more. Today at lunch I visited stores in an attempt to finish off the things I need (uh, want) to buy before Halloween. I'll probably visit stores every day this week.
I was reading the Wall Street Journal today and it looks like this is going to turn out to be a very good Halloween season. From the article..."Retailers expect sales of Halloween candy and costumes to reach $5.8 billion this year, up from $4.75 billion in 2009, and hope the higher-spending trend will continue through the winter holidays. "From a business standpoint, it's an important event for us," said a spokesman for Wal-Mart, which, like other stores, is highlighting value and devoting considerable shelf space to Halloween items."
Click here to read the whole story.
I don't know about "highlighting". It seems that retailers are much more reserved this year. I am hoping that this rise in spending will make next year better. Most places I've visited have had less on the shelves, or in some cases less AND the same things as last year. Dollar Stores pulled all their Halloween products out last week. I visited five of them and couldn't believe Christmas had already come.


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Avalanche victim fundraiser will include poker run, auction, concert
Steamboat Springs — A full day of events are planned to remember and raise money to help the family of the Steamboat Springs man killed in an avalanche Feb. 14.
All proceeds from Saturday’s poker run, concert and auction will go to the family of Jesse Christensen.
Registration for the poker run is from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Strings Music Pavilion, and it is designed so anyone can participate. The cost is $100 per hand and includes a ticket to the concert at the pavilion later in the day.
Luke Berlet, who is helping organize the event, said the poker run will consist of people going out and taking pictures of themselves doing anything outdoors.
Berlet said they want people to share their passion for life like Christensen said.
“If it’s not going to snow and be sunny, go for a run,” Berlet.
The photos will then be posted to the Jesse Christensen Celebration of Life Movement Facebook page, and people will be given five playing cards for their poker hand. The winner will get 20 percent of the purse.
Doors for the concert and auction will open at 5 p.m. People are encouraged to get the $50 tickets beforehand at tickets.stringsmusicfestival.com.
“We’re hoping that we can get a couple hundred people — 300 would be great,” said Kim Haggarty, who is also helping organize the event. “We’re just trying to help out the family.”
Food is being donated by E3 Chophouse, Aurum Food and Wine and Carl’s Tavern.
Haggarty said they have a very special night of music lined up by artists who have donated their time.
Christensen’s son Colter will perform the cajon percussion instrument with Chamberlin Birch. The Enough About You 80s tribute band will play and be followed by Loose Change with Brent Rowan.
“He’s an amazing guitar player,” Haggarty said.
There will be a silent auction as well as a live auction conducted by renowned Steamboat auctioneer Cookie Lockhart.
Christensen was a gun safety advocate, and auction items include four lifetime diamond memberships to the Front Sight Firearms Training Institute in Nevada. Berlet said the memberships sell for between $10,000 and $15,000.
“This is a big ticket item that someone is going to get a heck of a deal on,” Berlet said.
Other auction items include snowmobile rentals from Colorado Sled Rental in Steamboat and a day on the lake flyboarding for eight people.
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The Lithuanian incumbent Teo has made its new generation internet TV service Interneto.tv more widely available.
Hitherto offered only to Teo smart TV users and some Omnitel customers, it can now be accessed on a PC, smartphone or tablet anywhere in Lithuania and irrespective of which internet providersí service is used.
Currently, 67% of Interneto.tv users access the service from their PCs, 19% from smartphones and 14% from tablets.
It has to date been tried out by 133,000 customers.
Interneto.tv currently offers 25 TV channels, with the list having ben updated at the beginning of this month.


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As the latest G-20 meeting made clear, there's a big debate right now about how much money governments in big, rich countries should be spending. The two basic camps:
Austerity: Deficits are out of control. Governments need to start spending less right now, in order to prevent a loss of confidence in government debt and head off economic catasrophe.
Stimulus: Unemployement is high, and the economic recovery is fragile. If governments cut off spending right now, we'll shoot back into recession. Besides, goverments can still borrow money at superlow interest rates. Keep the short-term spending spigot open for a while longer, and deal with deficits in the longer term.
The FT has a bunch of big-name economists weighing in on the debate this week.
Berkeley economist and blogger Brad DeLong argues for more spending from economies where interest rates on government bonds remain low:
Here we have the crux: Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy need to be austere. But Germany, Britain, America and Japan do not. With their debts valued by the market at heights I had never thought to see in my lifetime, the best thing they can do to relieve the global depression is to engage in co-ordinated global expansion ... on a titanic scale. (Read more.)
But Harvard economist Ken Rogoff, author of a recent book on the history of sovereign defaults says those interest rates can rise sharply and unexpectedly:
...it is folly to ignore the long-term risks of already record peace-time debt accumulation. ... The fact that the markets seem nowhere near forcing adjustment on most advanced economies can hardly be construed as proof that rising debts are riskless. ... an apparently benign market environment can darken quite suddenly as a country approaches its debt ceiling. (Read more.)
Harvard economic historian Niall Ferguson argues governments need to rein in spending in order to boost confidence in the private sector:
People are nervous of world war-sized deficits when there isn’t a war to justify them. According to a recent poll published in the FT, 45 per cent of Americans "think it likely that their government will be unable to meet its financial commitments within 10 years." Surveys of business and consumer confidence paint a similar picture of mounting anxiety. (Read more.)
And President Obama's economic adviser Larry Summers argues for lots of spending now, and less spending later:


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Ralph Lauren Enters The Fourth Dimension-------
“Witness the ultimate collision of fashion, art, and technology.” “Be prepared to see Madison Avenue in a whole new light.” The invite to RalphLauren.com’s tenth anniversary celebration tomorrow night makes big promises. David Lauren, son of Ralph and Polo Ralph Lauren’s senior vice president of advertising, marketing, and corporate communications, had even more during a preview of the event he gave Style.com: “It’s not just game-changing, it’s life-changing.”
So what exactly is the “it” he’s talking about? Come 8 p.m. on Wednesday, two lanes of Madison Avenue will be shut down to traffic and filled with spectators (not just the fashion set; it’s open to the public as well). There, they’ll be treated to a 4-D experience in which the new Ralph Lauren women’s flagship will sway, turn into fabric, collapse, and reappear before the walls retract and a virtual runway complete with models materializes. In addition, giant neckties (a nod to the first product Ralph Lauren ever designed) will spill from the roof, but the coup de grâce will come when members of Prince Charles’ polo team break through the building’s facade and charge down the street. As for the 4 in 4-D, that would be the real Big Pony fragrance that’s going to spray from the virtual perfume bottles spinning over the crowd’s heads. “It’s like the movie Inception come to life,” David promises.
How’s it done? As he explains it: “Through architectural mapping, the building was digitized with lasers, mapped on a computer, re-rendered, and is then projected back onto the building.” His tech team worked with the wizards behind the Harry Potter movies to pull it off, and it’s not just happening in New York, but also at the store on New Bond Street in London. (The brand is eager to bring attention to its new U.K. e-commerce operation, as well as to celebrate a decade of innovation on RalphLauren.com.)
All this sounds like pretty unique promotion for a company that’s long excelled at that sort of thing, but life-changing? Well, yes, just possibly. Or landscape-changing, at the very least. Imagine every store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris or the Bund in Shanghai adopting this technology, and suddenly our nighttime cityscapes could start to resemble a scene from a science-fiction film. “The holograms we’ve been seeing in movies for ages are finally real,” David says. “The designer will no longer just be in pages of ads, he’ll be leaning out the store window and answering questions.” That’s right, Wednesday night’s experience will include a four-story-high rendering of Ralph Lauren himself. In addition to the 8 p.m., there are also screenings at 8:30 and 9.


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By Apley Farm Shop, 17 December 2018, 14:01PM
Apley Farm Shop, between Bridgnorth & Telford, entered for The Shop of the Year Award back in October & recently heard the great news that they’ve been selected as a finalist. The award is much coveted award amongst the UK’s top farm shops, offered annually by the Guild of Fine Foods.
Apley Farm Shop has entered the farmer owned farm shop category. There are five other award categories: Delicatessen & Grocer; Specialist Cheese Shop; Food Hall; Specialist food or drink shop; Newcomer. So the reach is broad across the food industry.
There are now over 300 farm shops across the UK which are now accounting for more & more grocery sales than ever before as customers seek local produce with provenance.
Judging for the award began in November and continues through to March when results will be announced.
General Manager John Wesley began “Our team of local staff are incredibly hard working and very committed to seeing the success of Apley Farm Shop. We would all be so proud to win this, but just being nominated as a finalist is wonderful in itself. We’ve now been open for nearly 8 years, so it’s super to see our hard work paying off as the business matures.“
Lord Hamilton, Apley Estate owner, added “We won the FARMA rising star award soon after opening in 2011 and have won many Greta Taste awards in the intervening years, notably for our hand-made mince pies, but this Shop of the Year award is the most prestigious as it looks at the whole business.
Lady Hamilton added “The Guild of Fine Foods was set up in 1995 to support & encourage artisan food producers & the retail outlets where their produce is sold. We fall into both groups as we sell our own produce as well as that of others.”
Apley’s website has full details & times www.apleyfarmshop.co.uk or call 01952 581 002
Taste Discover Enjoy at Apley Farm Shop – so much more than a farm shop !


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Just a few hours in the past we had seen the primary details about the Samsung Galaxy S21 knowledge sheet by way of the 3C certification, however a brand new rumor leads us once more to speak in regards to the possible launch date of the subsequent prime of the Samsung vary. Should you keep in mind simply yesterday we noticed that Samsung Galaxy S21 can be forward of the roadmap, with even crucial elements already being mass manufacturing.
There may be speak of the launch in early 2021
The rumor in query signifies that this info will not be solely appropriate, however that the highest executives of the South Korean big are doing every thing to convey ahead the launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S21 household of a month in comparison with the previous. If, actually, the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S20 was held in March 2020 after the Unpacked occasion in February, it appears that evidently the subsequent era will come. introduced in January and launched throughout the month of February.
What can be the explanation for such a rush? Plainly the corporate desires to use the actual market circumstances – learn: Huawei’s issue in countering the consequences of the US ban – to assault the sector and steal the primary place from Huawei as the most important smartphone producer.
In accordance with the rumor, the brand new vary needs to be positioned available on the market on February 5, 2021 in 5 colours: white, grey, pink, purple and silver. The headphones must also be positioned subsequent to it Samsung Galaxy Buds 2. Labeled with the code identify “Attic”And anticipated in three colours, the brand new mannequin of true wi-fi headphones ought to have a brand new stage of waterproofing.
Clearly, this info should be taken with the suitable stage of skepticism. The launch of a smartphone will not be one thing that’s determined in a single day, much more so in case your identify is Samsung and you’re planning the launch of a spread of gadgets on a worldwide scale. What is for certain is that the corporate has all of the know-how and the flexibility to anticipate its plans and begin 2021 aggressively.
On the duvet Samsung Galaxy Be aware 20 Extremely


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Like maps and navigation Google has seen voice as a strategic area and invested heavily in it: Voice Search, Voice Input and Voice Actions. Most recently the company acquired Phonetic Arts to improve "voice output" on mobile devices.
Indeed maps/navigation and speech are the big differentiators of Android vs. the iPhone. Ad network Chitika said that about 7% of iPhone search queries (on Google) are voice initiated. By comparison, earlier this year Google reported that 25% of search queries on Android devices are initiated by voice.
In a meeting last week with Microsoft the company told me that about 20% of mobile queries on Bing are now voice driven. This number is obviously very consistent with Google's Android number. It suggests that over time more and more search queries and other types of actions on the phone will be initiated by voice.
Right now, I'm told, speech-input queries are quite similar to text-based queries. But as people gain more experience with speech and voice search on mobile devices we should see longer and more specific queries. We may even see more rapid growth of mobile search query volumes due to voice. As keyboard frustration and "friction" disappear search queries will grow.
Speech thus makes mobile search (vs. app usage) much more viable for consumers overall.
See related posts:
In the world of mobile advertising forecasts, perception can become reality. Everyone wants to be perceived as the biggest or at least having momentum. However forecasting is a shadowy business where the numbers can be badly off with incorrect or sloppy assumptions or facts.
One or more of these were true of IDC's previous US mobile ad estimate, which showed Google and Apple tied for market share in the US at 21%.
After the numbers came out in a BusinessWeek article there was something of an outcry, in part by Google (as well as others). Indeed, the company's earnings-call disclosure of its "$1 billion mobile ad run rate" was partly a response to the inaccurate IDC forecast.
Here are the old IDC numbers, released in September:
Now IDC has revised its numbers (Google said it feels better about them "directionally"). Google totally overwhelms the rest of the field in terms of market share. It's believable that Google would be in the lead -- but by this much?
Microsoft and Yahoo are reportedly down vs. last year and Jumptap is nowhere to be seen in the public data. I suspect they're in the 15.9% category that I dubbed other.
The Nokia N8 handset is being outsold by the iPhone in Europe 6 to 1 according to a Morgan Stanley survey of 150 European wireless phone retailers released last week. However the Nokia Symbian 3 handset is reportedly meeting sales targets despite this apparently poor showing.
According to Morgan Stanley's research here are the bestselling smartphones in Europe right now in order of volume:
My guess is that a year from now we'll see something in the high forty-percent range (say 48%). But very close to 50% if not 50%. This will be especially true if the pricing on smartphones continues to be as aggressive as it has recently been for the holidays. Best Buy for example is offering many models of smartphones (mostly Android) for free with two-year contracts.
BlackBerry has been doing aggressive two-for-one pricing for a long time. These sorts of pricing moves will continue to drive adoption and Android is likely to be the chief beneficiary. Although Radio Shack has reduced the price of iPhone 4 by $50 through the holidays.
When smartphones do reach 50% of the US mobile market it will be a very significant threshold both as a practical and psychological matter. No one will be able to ignore the behavior at that point or the query volumes coming from these devices. Mobile Internet usage will be primary for some people and perhaps certain demographic segments as a whole. For example, Opera recently found that "Gen Y" users were on the mobile Internet far more than its PC sibling:
The implications of this are pretty radical for both publishers and marketers. And remember 53% of mobile searches (on Bing) have a local intent.
The folks at BIA/K have updated their mobile forecast: $2.9B by 2014 in the US. I have some critiques of their assumptions, which I won't focus on now. But there's something in the press release that raises an interesting larger philosophical question around "accounting" and forecasting in the local-mobile ad space. It's an issue I've been thinking about for the past six months and this gives me an opportunity to write about it.
BIA/K says that local will represent 69% of US mobile advertising in 2014:
BIA/Kelsey expects U.S. mobile local advertising revenues to grow from $213 million in 2009 to $2.03 billion in 2014 (57 percent CAGR). This represents 44 percent of total U.S. mobile ad revenues in 2009, growing to 69 percent in 2014.
This is a huge percentage and it begs the question: "what's a local ad?" Accordingly this is the part I want to focus on:
BIA/Kelsey defines mobile local advertising as that which is targeted based on a user’s location and/or actionable locally. Local targeting occurs to varying degrees and with different methods within each of the advertising formats examined in the forecast (search, display, SMS).
Again: "targeted based on a user’s location and/or actionable locally." Let's unpack this a bit.
Arguably all product advertising in mobile is "actionable locally." For example a mobile display ad for a Sharp TV becomes "actionable locally" if it prompts me to head into a retail store and look at or buy the set. It may or may not have a "local call to action." And over on Screenwerk I've argued for five years that product search needs to be considered a part of local because that's where most of the transactions ultimately occur -- in stores.
But transaction-location swallows almost all commerical activity and some people may feel that's too broad a concept. Similarly "actionable locally" is vague. I believe what they're trying to get at however is something like a coupon that needs to be redeemed in a store or a business service that must be fulfilled offlline.
But here's an interesting hypothetical that illustrates the challenge with this idea. What about a Gap ad (discount/coupon) in a mobile app that equally applies at all Gap stores across the US? How should this ad be categorized; is it a national ad or a local ad?
It may target audiences across the US equally and it doesn't necessarily contain local ad copy (in fact it probably wouldn't at this stage). Maybe it's exclusively for in-store purchases but maybe there's an e-commerce component (which is increasingly true for retailers: channel agnosticism). There may be a secondary or subordinate link on a landing page to a store locator. Absent any other local copy does this store locator make it a local ad? (More on that later.)
There are several considerations that are relevant to defining a local ad in a mobile context: targeting methodology, ad copy and ad format. Because users who see ads on mobile devices are always somewhere that can be pinpointed quite precisely, every mobile ad has the potential to become local in a way not possible on the PC.
Millennial Media reported that in October roughly 18% of all display campaigns it saw were geotargeted. Here "geo" is defined quite broadly to include country and state. Given that marketers can target mobile users with great precision, what level of geo is required before we call an ad local?
Does an ad need to be targeted down to the DMA or city level to be considered local? Or would we be willing to call ads that target France, for example, or all of New York local? I don't have an easy answer but I would argue we'd need to get down to at least the DMA level. We could call a state-level ad "geotargeted" (because it is) but "local" implies something more narrow.
Now to ad copy. Clearly an ad that contains city-level references would seem to qualify as "local."
The ad below, from a JiWire-run campaign (online), was a national buy that dynamically inserted local references to make it appear more relevant to users in specific markets. But it did this across the US; it was not otherwise a "local" ad. There was no local call to action, no store locator; it was a pure brand campaign that happened to include location references. Is this a "local" ad?
Now back to the "store locator" issue. Recall my "first date with iAD." I saw an ad for Klondike Bars. There was nothing local in the content of the ad, except that it did offer a store locator of sorts ("find a bar"). Is this a "local" ad?
My view is that most brand-oriented ads in mobile are going to contain dealer or store finder capabilities as a matter of course. It will essentially be a "checkbox." This is because the phone and its functionality (maps) permit it -- so why wouldn't you do it? It makes brand messages actionable locally. Buick? Find a dealer. Klondike? Find a bar. Marriott? Find a room.
If we consider these local ads then more and more mobile display moves over into the "local" column. That raises a related issue: ads with phone numbers in them.
As I just argued mobile ads (whether search or display) will routinely have store locators or links to maps. But they will also increasingly show phone numbers too -- again because of the way the inherent capabilities of the handset can be invoked. Does a national, brand-centric insurance ad buy (e.g., State Farm) become local if it contains an 800 number that routes calls to local offices? What if it has a dynamically inserted local tracking number but no other local element?
While an ad for a local sushi restaurant is clearly a local ad (one town, one restaurant), some of these other scenarios (national --> local) are much more ambiguous. And as I suggested, location and local ad copy will increasingly be dynamically inserted based on a national database of locations, ad copy and images. Google is already doing this in mobile today.
There's somewhat less ambiguity when it comes to search advertising but not much less.
The focus for small business will be less on buying mobile advertising per se than getting exposure broadly across platforms via channel enablers. There will be some mobile-specific activity by SMBs (e.g., Foursquare marketing, Facebook Deals) but most marketing will not be mobile-centric. Indeed, very few true SMBs will be buying PPCall ads on Google. Most of the action for SMBs in mobile will be about organic distribution.
For the foreseeable future most of the "local" advertising on mobile devices will be bought by enterprises that otherwise seek regional or national reach but local stores, dealers or outlets. Thus we return to the various scenarios above and the question of what do we consider a local ad in mobile?
It's a much harder question to answer than it seems.
Under the broadest definition of "local" the category swallows the lion's share of mobile advertising going forward. And we can manipulate the definition of "local" to make the category larger or smaller. But where we place ad revenues is less important than how consumers are interacting with mobile devices and what sort of marketing or advertising methods are effective in reaching them.
So far eBay and Amazon are the king and queen of "m-commerce." Amazon said it will sell more than $1 billion through mobile devices this year, while eBay says it will sell $1.5 billion. In addition, eBay payments unit PayPal mobile is growing like a weed. According to a press release the company put out earlier this week, "PayPal saw an approximately 310 percent increase in mobile shopping on Black Friday."
Now eBay has put up an interesting site that exposes mobile purchases across its major markets. One can slice and dice the data in several ways: product categories, countries and "what's hot."
Amazon and eBay have been very aggressive and proactive in mobile, whereas most retailers and shopping comparison sites have no dedicated mobile offering or one which offers a limited or poor experience by comparison.
The Mobile Marketing Association previously released consumer survey data showing reporting that "59% of mobile consumers plan to use their mobile phone for holiday shopping and planning holiday celebrations, not including making phone calls."
While the majority of consumers will use mobile sites and smartphones for in-store price comparisons, reviews and store locators there is a big mobile commerce opportunity that only a handful are positioned to capitalize on. Mostly that means big, trusted brands like Amazon, eBay and traditional retailers. No-name retailers or generic shopping comparison engines may be utilized for informational purposes but they're unlikely to see much if any revenue coming from mobile.
There's now quite a bit of conflicting data in the US market about loyalty, satisfaction and intended future smartphone purchases. See, for example:
Nielsen has come out with some new survey based data that argues Android is starting to reach parity with the iPhone in terms of “most desired” next device and among men it slightly exceeds the iPhone:
Here are some of the findings from the firm's quarterly survey of just under 20K mobile users:
More interesting and important than the perpetual iPhone vs. Android discussion is the data showing smartphone penetration very close to 30% in the US. The data also show the iPhone and RIM now with an equivalent share of devices (27.9%) with Android not far behind (22%). It's not yet clear how well Windows Phone 7 is doing. There's some anecodtal evidence that it's not selling well despite generally positive reviews.
Again, these data are self-reported (and not based on unit sales) but the sample size was huge and so we can fairly reliably generalize the findings to the broader market.
With many smug spinmeisters and pundits proclaiming that the "smartphone wars" are over (with Apple and Google as winners), a new survey from GfK (n=2,653 mobile users in UK, US, Brazil, Germany, Spain and China) suggests a much more fluid marketplace.
The survey found that as many as 75% of current smartphone users are open to changing or will change mobile OSs when they get new phones. Overall only 25% were loyal to their existing OS. Analysis of the findings argues that consumers are "keeping options open" as new smartphones come out on a seemingly weekly basis. This is particularly acute on the Android platform.
The frenzy of releases and the fast-changing nature of the device market has likely created the "disloyalty" reflected in the survey data. However I would caution that the sample sizes break down and become very small on an individual country basis.
Among individual operating systems, the survey found that loyalty was highest to the iPhone (59%) and lowest for Microsoft (21%). Android and Nokia didn't fare much better (at 28% and 24% respectively). RIM saw 35% of BlackBerry users saying they would likely stay on the platform.
Earlier this year Nielsen found that the iPhone had slightly higher levels of loyalty than Android. But these findings showed much higher loyalty levels for both platforms and especially Android. Indeed, these US-only findings are dramatically different than those from the GfK survey.
It's already happening in developing countries. However many people in the US and Europe remain skeptical that the mobile Internet will be bigger than the PC Internet, especially in the next few years. There's also the Morgan Stanley forecast that, on a global basis, the Internet will be more mobile than fixed in 2014.
Data just released by Opera reveal how real that crossover will be -- and already is for young adults in many countries. The company just came out with its monthly state of the mobile Web report. Part of that report is survey data from Opera Mini users around the globe, collected this summer. The age range of respondents is 18-27 (generation Y).
Opera received more than 300K completes -- a massive global sample. There are many interesting findings in the survey, which are generally consistent across countries except in a few cases. However the most interesting data to me is the following:
The red bars represent mobile access; green is PC.
This is not all age groups remember. But in every country but two mobile Internet access was greater and, in some cases, by very large margins.
These data strongly argue that publishers and marketers not taking mobile seriously are going to be in serious trouble in a few short years if they don't start giving the mobile Web equal attention.
Some interesting data was published by Nielsen this week on intended future purchases. The data reflect the electronics wish lists of younger kids and those over 13 years of age. Everyone wants a new "computer," but the lists diverge otherwise.
Tweens and younger kids want the iPad and iPod Touch devices. The iPhone is further down the list. According to the data, those over 13 want smartphones (not the iPhone) before the iPad. Similarly the iPhone is down the list.
Thus it would appear that for both groups of respondents the iPhone has lost some luster. The likely beneficiary of non-iPhone smartphone interest is probably Android and its OEMs.
Parents: here is your shopping list.
JiWire, which manages advertising at more than 300,000 public WiFi locations, has issued another quarterly report with data about attitudes and behaviors of mobile users (including users on laptops). Part of the data comes from a survey of "1,200 customers randomly selected across JiWire's Wi-Fi Media Channel from July 2010 - September 2010."
Here are some of the top-level data points and charts from the report:
Intended LBS usage rationale behind usage:
Checking in and "find a store" within an ad:
How far will you go for a deal (by offer category)?
WiFi usage by country and US city:
WiFi usage business locations:
I'm always cautious about generalizing too much from survey data, especially when relatively small sample sizes are involved. However, two separate surveys seem to indicate that iPhone demand is still very strong and stronger than that for Android.
First, IHL partners and Retail Connections conducted an online survey in September and received 570 consumer responses as well as 66 responses from retailers. The survey found, among other things, that 49% of respondents wanted an iPhone followed by 40% who were considering an Android handset as their next mobile device.
RIM and Windows Mobile were far behind. These survey data are consistent with other evidence that show RIM losing mindshare among consumers. (Some see the 50% price cut for the new BlackBerry Torch as a move to jumpstart sales, which have repotedly been disappointing.) In terms of Windows, it should be pointed out that the survey was conducted prior to the launch of the new Windows Phone.
Next handset under consideration:
Source: IHL partners and Retail Connections (n=570 US adults)
Mot would-be iPhone buyers are also considering Android and vice-versa according to the survey:
[O]f those consumers that are considering an Android, 57% are considering an iPhone, while 48% of those considering an iPhone also would consider an Android purchase.
As an aside, the IHL survey also found that "35% of smartphone users have received and/or redeemed a coupon they have received via text message."
Another survey from UK website MyPhoneDeals.co.uk, conducted around roughly the same time as the IHL survey, found that Android owners were roughly 4X more likely to be interested in an iPhone than the other way around. Just over 30% of the survey's respondents said the iPhone was their preferred smartphone choice, while 7% selected Android as the top choice. The survey had 524 respondents.
Interestingly MyPhoneDeals found that almost 75% of the female respondents identified the iPhone as the most desirable smartphone. Women lag men in smartphone ownership today. That could mean significant sales for the iPhone as women "catch up" to men in smartphone adoption.
If iPhone really is the most desired smartphone, how does one account for the success of Android? First the sheer number of Android devices on the market partly explains its success; there's a kind of "Cambell's Soup" phenomenon going on as Android handsets take up more and more "shelf space." In addition in the US, AT&T exclusivity has created a barrier for many people against buying an iPhone. Android is now a highly credible alternative, though still missing many of the "refinements" and usability features of the iPhone.
We'll see what happens to sales when Verizon gets the iPhone next year. Survey data and behavior can diverge.
Gartners global smartphone numbers, released yesterday, were widely reported and discussed. They reflect Q3 and not overall market share but they continue to show momentum for Android, which has widespread OEM support and competes at a range of price points. Losers in Q3 (according to Gartner) were Nokia/Symbian and RIM. Microsoft continued to lose share but the numbers are pre Windows Phone.
Here are the Q3 figures:
Using rounded numbers here are the share shifts:
Basically 20% of all handsets sold in Q3 were smartphones. Apple had huge global volume with iPhone 4, but that only allowed it to remain flat on a percentage basis because of the surge in Android handset sales.
Here's a remarkable statistic from the Gartner release: "Gartner estimates Android phones accounted for 75 percent to 80 percent of Verizon Wireless's smartphone trade in the third quarter of 2010."
Meanwhile Android handsets beat the iPhone in Consumer Reports' rankings. For each US carrier the top-ranked phone was an Android handset:
Consumer Reports continues to feud with Apple and dislike iPhone 4 because of the device's antennae problems. The company has also sought to inject itself into the "smartphone wars" for sales purposes and to boost its PR profile. I own an EVO and I've used or tested all of the top-rated phones above, though haven't "lived" with them for weeks. I strongly disagree with Consumer Reports and believe that the overall quality of the device and user experience still favors the iPhone.
Regardless we're going to see the OEMs here all making claims to be "number 1."
Online and mobile ad network Chitika is reporting that only 3.54% of the top-traffic Web domains have a mobile site.
Chitika spidered the top million Alexa sites to determine if the domain had a corresponding mobile site. At the top end most sites do have a mobile version, but as one descends the ladder the likelihood also declines.
According to Chitika Research Director Dan Ruby: "100% of the top 10 sites have a mobile version, but that number drops to 84% of the top 50, 67% of the top 100, and only 35% of the top 1,000."
These data are pretty interesting. What it means is that consumers are probably not having great mobile experiences at most top sites, even on smartphones. It would seem to argue that they have to pretty quickly off their posteriors and at least build an HTML site to address surging consumer mobile Internet adoption.
It's not clear what the app numbers are but I would assume that they're even less because it's more costly and time-consuming to build a mobile app and get it approved (for the iPhone).
The Mobile Marketing Association released survey data (n=1,000) today that reported "59% of mobile consumers plan to use their mobile phone for holiday shopping and planning holiday celebrations, not including making phone calls." In addition, "searching for locations where a gift is sold" and price comparisons were the top two identified activities that consumers thought they would use their phones for.
Other survey findings:
Attitudes and behavior are often different but no one can dispute that mobile phones, especially smartphones, are becoming more important to consumers as shopping tools -- to locate stores and get product information and pricing, as the findings above argue.
Especially interesting to me is this data point: "12% anticipate using their device to respond to a TV, billboard or newspaper ad." Some number of consumers now expect these traditional ads to be interactive, unless "respond" in this context simply means conduct a search on a product or brand. I interpreted it to mean respond via SMS or 2D barcode.
Previously InsightExpress found that 82% of consumers were using their phones in stores:
Source: Insight Express, June 2010 (n=1300 US mobile phone users)
In August, Sterling Commerce found that 25% of consumers were doing in-store price comparisons.
I've been trying to get a Windows Phone to no avail; I'm not on the "A-List" of gadget testers. Repeated requests to Microsoft have so far been ineffective. So yesterday I went into an AT&T store to play with one.
Windows Phone branding and promotion were all over the store; Windows Phones are the new iPhone for AT&T. However there wasn't a unit on the floor. After wandering around the store looking at all the handsets I finally asked the "greeter," "I'd like to take a look at one of the new Windows Phones, where would I find it?" The guy offered to put my name on a list that had about seven people on it. He told me it would be about 45 minutes to an hour before I could get access to one. "I just want to see the phone," I said. He didn't have an answer for me.
As I left, frustrated, I thought: what the heck is AT&T doing? Is this some sort of hazing ritual to weed out unqualified buyers? Is this an attempt to build momentum and perceived demand through artificial scarcity? It was strange and wrong-headed from a marketing and customer service perspective under any conceivable scenario.
There have been mixed reports about demand for the new handset. It sold out in Germany but there have also been US reports of only modest interest. One financial firm estimated initial sales at only 40K units. But this is a very premature assessment of the success or failure of the handset. When we have a full quarter of sales we'll know better what consumers think.
Meanwhile Samsung said it had shipped 7 million Galaxy S Android phones, 3 million of them to the US. Samsung is the leading handset OEM in the US market overall according to recent comScore data.
Samsung is competing with HTC, Motorola and LG to be the leading Android OEM. Indeed I believe that Samsung will ultimately emerge as the Android volume winner, eclipsing HTC and Motorola. Motorola in particular wil have a greater challenge vs its Android rivals and will need to be supremely clever about hardware and software choices to continue to succeed as an Android OEM.
Droid has already lost its luster vs. Galaxy S. But that could change again if a new and more shiny Android handset comes out next week.
Yesterday in the context of its mobile event Facebook announced (consistent with my prediction) that the company had more than 200 million active mobile users around the world. I earlier asked Facebook to break this out by US vs. international numbers, which they declined to do. But let's try and figure that out . . . shall we.
Facebook itself says that 70% of its usage comes from outside the US: "About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States." That means (assuming 500 million total users) that 150 million users are in the US.
If we were to assume that mobile usage breaks down along the same US-international lines that would mean 140 million mobile users would be international, while 60 million would be in the US. My guess is that mobile usage doesn't break down along those lines exactly. Much of Facebook's mobile usage is likely to come from smartphones and its mobile apps in particular, although Facebook does operate sites for non-smartphone browsers and has a text only site at 0.facebook.com.
The US doesn't have the highest smartphone penetration among Western countries, Spain probably does. But in absolute numbers the US has more smartphones than any other country. Let's say (based on a collection of third party data points) that are something like 60 million smartphone users in the US. How many of those people are using Facebook (probably not 100%). Yet Facebook's mobile usage doesn't come exclusively from smartphones. We don't know, however, how many non-smartphone Facebook users there are in the US or elsewhere in the world.
Nielsen says there are 85 million mobile Internet users total. So one would need to assume that there aren't more US mobile Facebook users than 85 million. My guess then is that there are about 75 million mobile facebook users in the US. If we were to treat Facebook as a mobile ad network, where would 75 million users put them in the hierarchy?
According to the Nielsen data, Facebook would be the largest mobile ad network. Notwithstanding Facebook Deals, announced yesterday, it doesn't quality as a mobile ad network -- quite yet.
Millennial Media is out with results from a new mobile developer, publisher and agency survey that shows how people are thinking about the various mobile platforms today and tomorrow. The data presented are pooled from two separate surveys conducted in Q4 of 2009 and August of this year. The outcome will fuel the "Android is taking over the world narrative," but there are more interesting data points.
There were 600 total respondents between the two surveys, based on several email solicitations. Respondents were agencies, app developers and publishers (broadly defined). The composition of the two survey respondent pools is essentially the same:
Here are the graphs:
Mobile App Platforms For Which Publishers Are Developing in 2010
New App Platforms Publishers Plan to Support in 2011
Publishers’ Expected Increase in Apps Revenue from 2010 to 2011
In Chart A, Android has gained on the iPhone. However looking at iOS (iPhone, iPad) together shows that it currently has 51% of the market vs. Android's 23%. Next year more respondents intend to support Android, probably based on anticipated continued growth and momentum.
In Chart C, we see that a majority of respondents expect to make more money off apps next year, with 31% expecting a 100% increase.
Among the more interesting datapoints presented, Window 7 is tied with the iPad in Chart B as the 2nd place platform that many plan to support next year. This response is largely based on a high level of awareness of Windows Phones, showing that Microsoft has done a good job with marketing and PR. Whether those phones are actually supported is another matter that will depend on sales.
Finally, the findings related to ad networks are interesting:
ChangeWave's latest consumer survey (n=3,108) this month shows some interesting things and confirms that the iPad has had an significant impact on the market and consumer expectations. Demand for laptops is stable according to the survey but consumer interest in netbooks, probably because of tablets, has waned:
[O]ne area that’s come down drastically from a year ago is consumer interest in Netbooks. Just 14% of those who plan on buying a laptop in the next 90 days say it will be a Netbook – 10-pts below our peak reading for Netbooks back in June 2009.
Nearly 3/4 of respondent-owners of the iPad say they're very satisfied:
[T]hree-quarters of current iPad owners (72%) say they’re Very Satisfied with their device and another 23% say they’re Somewhat Satisfied – world class satisfaction ratings for the Apple Tablet.
Finally, and very interestingly, demand for the RIM tablet appears to be greater than for the Galaxy Tab. This is probably based on the brand strength of BlackBerry rather than any substantive knowledge about the device on the part of consumers.
In addition, the massive interest/demand gap between the iPad and other tablets will be hard to surmount for most of the companies that seek to compete in the segment.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab goes on sale in a couple of weeks in the US. Will it sizzle or will it fizzle? My guess is something in between.
Here's what Steve Jobs had to say about the forthcoming bunch of tablets, led by the Galaxy Tab:
First, it appears to be just a handful of credible entrants, not exactly an avalanche. Second, almost all of them use seven-inch screens as compared to iPad's near 10-inch screen . . . [The] screens on the seven-inch tablets are a bit smaller than the bottom half of the iPad display.
[E]very tablet user is also a smartphone user. No tablet can compete with the mobility of a smartphone, its ease of fitting into your pocket or purse, its unobtrusiveness when used in a crowd. Given that all tablet users will already have a smartphone in their pockets, giving up precious display area to fit a tablet in our pockets is clearly the wrong trade off. The seven-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad.
[The] iPad now has over 35,000 apps on the App Store. This new crop of tablets will have near zero . . . and [ ] our potential competitors are having a tough time coming close to iPad's pricing, even with their far smaller, far less expensive screens.
Endgadget is out with its Galaxy Tab review. The gadget blog generally likes the hardware but says the device lacks app support. I haven't used one so I can't comment; however I think the pricing is wrong. It ranges from $399 for the two-year contract subsided version (Sprint, T-mobile) to $599 or $699 for the "unlocked" version of the device.
Here's the problem. The contract version is $100 too expensive and can't (apparently) be used as phone, other than with VoIP providers. The unlocked versions are too expensive when compared with the larger-screen iPad. The right way to do this would have been to enable the device to be used as a smartphone substitute. Then the $399 price is more palatable.
But as Jobs suggested most Tab buyers will have a smartphone already. So they're not going to want to buy yet another carrier contract. They're likely to wait for the WiFi version and buy it unlocked. But then it's too expensive for a device that in most respects is inferior to Apple's tablet.
My prediction is that when it becomes available in a couple of weeks there will be decent but not great sales for the Samsung device. If it had been priced more aggressively it might have flown off the shelves. Apparently the Galaxy Tab cost $200 to manufacture so a $300 price point cuts deeply into margins. But the right price for the (subsidized) Galaxy Tab would have been $299.
By this time next year we should have several Android tablets in market, together with an HP WebOS tablet and a few windows-based tablets. RIM's Playbook will also be out. The market will be a great deal more interesting and potentially confusing as consumers try and navigate all the device choices and how to connect them all to the Internet in the most economical way. (This is a huge issue: consumers want the best devices and unlimited connectivity at the cheapest prices; carriers want to thwart that objective.)
For the time being Apple owns 95% of the global tablet market according to Strategy Analytics:


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You know the drill: LaVar Ball says something outlandish and everyone goes nuts.
The latest is part of the same act we saw last week when he was explaining why his son’s Big Baller Brand shoes cost $495. On Friday, he told the Dan Le Batard Show that “This stuff right here is symbolic. And that comes with a price. No one’s ever come into the game with their own brand.”
Monday, he was on FS1’s Undisputed say the same thing, only this time, when co-host Shannon Sharpe noted Michael Jordan — the same guy LaVar said he could have beat 1-on-1 — couldn’t command $100 for a pair of sneakers.
Ball: “‘Cause he ain’t Lonzo Ball, that’s why. … I’m gonna tell you again, did he have his own brand when he came in?”
And here he is again talking about how his son is the first to have a brand before stepping foot on to an NBA court:
Again, this argument — and even mentioning Jordan when it comes to shoe brands — is positively ridiculous, and here’s one reason why: Did one of Jordan’s parents start a brand for him right after he left North Carolina? Of course not.
Saying Lonzo has his own brand and that’s “symbolic” holds exactly zero weight because this is simply nepotism and headline-grabbing with an over-the-top price. If one of the shoe giants had tapped Ball and handed him his own brand? Different story, and we all know they would undoubtedly set the price much, much, much, much lower than $495.
The bigger question is: At what point does this and the senior Ball’s antics become too much for an NBA franchise to deal with even with Lonzo’s prodigious talent?


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‘Tis the season of Queen Bey. Just a week after shocking fans with the stealthy release of her secret, self-titled “visual” album, the pop star again made an unexpected move when she dropped by a Massachusetts Walmart Friday.
The 32-year-old singer made a surprise appearance at Walmart in Tewksbury, Mass., Us Weekly exclusively reports. Bey perused the aisles with a shopping cart, picking up a few toys likely for her daughter Blue Ivy — before bestowing every person in the store with a $50 gift card to Walmart.
She spent $37,500 for 720 shoppers on the gift certificates alone.
But perhaps the most interesting purchase was a copy of her album Beyonce, which competing retailer Target announced it would not sell because of her decision to first release it online. Whether the trip was a deliberate snub to Target, it was nonetheless a “Flawless” response.


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Denim manufacturer Vishal Fabrics Ltd on Monday reported an 85 % increase in its standalone net profit at Rs 18.95 crore for the first quarter ended June.
The company had posted a net profit of Rs 10.24 crore during the April-June quarter a year ago, Vishal Fabrics said in a regulatory filing.
Its revenue from operations was up 49.90 % at Rs 442.10 crore during the quarter in comparison to a lower base of the pandemic-impacted corresponding quarter.
In the year-ago period, Vishal Fabrics revenue from operations was at Rs 294.92 crore.
Brijmohan Chiripal, Managing Director said, ”During the quarter, the company was able to achieve sustainable margins.” The company was able to successfully pass on the additional cost to the customers, he added.


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15 Feb 2010 10:33
Stuff and Practical Motorhome show strong ABC gains
Haymarket’s Stuff and Practical Motorhome magazines have turned in outstanding performances in their sectors, according to the latest audited consumer circulation figures released by the ABC.
In the men’s lifestyle sector, gadget title Stuff made the greatest gain over six months, rising by 13.2 per cent to 95,695 copies. In a sector in which overall circulation fell by 4.4 per cent year on year, Stuff was up 0.7 per cent on 2008.
Read more about how men’s lifestyle titles fared from the Guardian and mediaweek.co.uk’s John Reynolds – who pointed out that Natmag’s Esquire also fared well while established titles including IPC’s Nuts and Loaded suffered big falls.
Meanwhile, in the thriving caravanning sector, Practical Motorhome’s 4.8 per cent rise year on year gave it the biggest circulation gain in its market. This follows the magazine’s September issue relaunch, which became the title’s best selling issue to date.
FourFourTwo also fared best among adult football titles, with a period-on-period jump of 9.7 per cent. Against an overall sector decline of 5.5 per cent year on year, FourFourTwo was down only 2.2 per cent on 2008. It remains the number one title by circulation in its sector with a circulation of 103,216 copies.


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JPMorgan CEO Says BTC Is Fraudulent, a ‘Pet Rock;’ Financial institution of America Says CBDCs Are ‘Pure Evolution’ — Bitcoin.com Information Week in OverviewJanuary 29, 2023
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has reiterated his supposed skepticism of bitcoin, just lately calling it a “hyped-up fraud,” and a “pet rock.” For it’s half, Financial institution of America has stated that it views central financial institution digital currencies (CBDCs) and stablecoins as a “pure evolution of right this moment’s financial and fee programs.” This and extra on inflation and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s subsequent strikes, slightly below.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Calls Bitcoin ‘Hyped-up Fraud’ — Expects Satoshi Nakamoto to Enhance BTC Provide Cap
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon calls bitcoin “a hyped-up fraud.” The chief questioned the cryptocurrency’s provide cap, anticipating an image of bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto to pop up and chortle at us all when bitcoin’s provide hits 21 million cash.
Morgan Stanley CEO Says Inflation Has Peaked and China Has Made a Main Pivot
Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman says two adjustments have occurred just lately that “actually matter” to the economic system. The chief defined that inflation has clearly peaked and China has made a “main, main pivot” economically.
Financial institution of America: ‘Digital Currencies Seem Inevitable’
Financial institution of America says “digital currencies seem inevitable,” including that central financial institution digital currencies (CBDCs) and stablecoins are “a pure evolution of right this moment’s financial and fee programs.” The financial institution expects “non-public sector beneficiaries to emerge in all phases of CBDC implementation.”
All Eyes on the Subsequent Fed Assembly: Market Trajectories Hinge on Determination
Equities, valuable metals, and cryptocurrencies have been on a tear throughout the previous couple of weeks of 2023, and all eyes are actually targeted on the following Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assembly. Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller just lately stated that he favors a quarter-point benchmark charge improve on the subsequent FOMC assembly. Analysts imagine that present market trajectories can be depending on the end result of the following Fed assembly.
What are your ideas on this week’s tales? Tell us within the feedback part under.


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Tesla’s Recent Milestones Could Mark a Turning Point for Its Stock
Tesla Inc., the electric vehicle maker, has been breaking milestones left and right. Just today, shares in the company soared to an all-time high, surpassing a market capitalization of $700 billion. This comes on the heels of another milestone, when Tesla joined the S&P 500 Index on December 21st, 2020. With these recent milestones, some industry experts believe that Tesla’s stock is at a turning point and poised for explosive growth.
Tesla’s Recent Milestones
The company’s success has ignited the interest of investors, who have been attracted to Tesla’s vision of a future powered by electric cars. Over the past year, the company has achieved several significant milestones that suggest Tesla is more than just a flash in the pan.
Firstly, Tesla has been on a tear when it comes to sales. In the third quarter of 2020, the company reported record vehicle deliveries of 139,300 units, beating Wall Street’s expectations of 137,000 deliveries. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter in which Tesla has exceeded delivery expectations, a testament to the growing demand for electric vehicles.
Moreover, Tesla’s Model Y, which went into production in March 2020, has been selling like hotcakes. In the third quarter of 2020, the Model Y accounted for nearly 30% of Tesla’s total vehicle sales. The vehicle’s popularity is helping Tesla to gain share in the SUV market, which is the largest automotive segment in the world. According to data from Statista, SUVs and crossovers accounted for nearly 40% of global passenger car sales in 2019.
Secondly, Tesla’s gross margins have also been on an upward trajectory. In the third quarter of 2020, the company reported a gross margin of 23.5%, up from 18.7% in the same period last year. This is significant because it shows that Tesla is getting better at reducing the cost of producing its vehicles, which is essential for scaling the business and achieving profitability.
Finally, Tesla’s cash position has improved dramatically. At the end of the third quarter of 2020, the company had $14.5 billion in cash on hand, up from $5 billion at the end of 2019. This is critical because it gives Tesla the financial flexibility to invest in new products and technologies, as well as to weather any economic downturns.
Explaining the Surge in Tesla’s Stock Price
So, why has Tesla’s stock been on such a tear lately? There are several reasons.
Firstly, Tesla’s inclusion in the S&P 500 has been a significant factor in driving up the stock price. The S&P 500 is one of the most widely followed stock market indices in the world. Being included in the index means that Tesla will be included in the portfolios of many institutional investors, which may trigger more buying pressure.
Moreover, Tesla’s entry into the S&P 500 is a sign of the company’s growing maturity. The company has gone from a startup striving to disrupt the automotive industry to a well-established player in the market. This has boosted investors’ confidence in the company’s long-term prospects.
Secondly, Tesla’s recent milestones have helped to build a positive narrative around the company. Unlike many other automakers, Tesla is seen as a company that is leading the future of mobility. Its electric vehicles are a symbol of innovation and progress, and the company has a cult-like following among its customers and investors. This narrative has helped to create a sense of excitement and optimism around the company, which has translated into higher demand for its stock.
Finally, there is the matter of Tesla’s profitability. In October 2020, the company reported its fifth consecutive profitable quarter, a feat that has eluded many other electric vehicle makers. This has led many investors to believe that Tesla has the potential to become one of the most profitable companies in the world, which would justify its sky-high valuation.
What Could Happen Next?
Tesla’s recent milestones have put the company in an enviable position. The company has a growing customer base, improving margins, and a strong financial position. Moreover, the company has a pipeline of new products and technologies that could further accelerate growth.
However, the market also faces some significant challenges. There is fierce competition in the electric vehicle market, with established automakers like Volkswagen, General Motors, and Toyota all investing heavily in electric vehicle technology. Moreover, Tesla’s popularity with investors has led to a sky-high valuation that some believe is unsustainable.
The future of Tesla’s stock price depends on how the company navigates these challenges. If Tesla continues to execute well and deliver strong financial results, investors may be willing to overlook the competition and valuation concerns. However, if the company begins to stumble, either in the form of declining sales or persistent losses, investors may start to lose faith in the company’s long-term prospects.
Tesla’s recent milestones could mark a turning point for the company’s stock. The company has achieved several significant milestones that suggest it is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing demand for electric vehicles. Moreover, the company’s inclusion in the S&P 500 has given it greater visibility and credibility in the eyes of investors. However, the company still faces significant challenges in a competitive market, and its high valuation has left some investors wary. Ultimately, the company’s success will depend on its ability to continue executing and delivering strong financial results.


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In collaboration with Klairmont Kollections, Goodyear unveiled the restored Golden Sahara II at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. An iconic custom car of the 1950s and 60s, the Golden Sahara II was one of the first concepts of autonomous vehicles and was fitted with glowing, see-through tyres that were custom developed by Goodyear.
“The 1950s and 60s were a period of intense innovation for Goodyear. We partnered with mobility pioneers in everything from lunar exploration to land speed records,” said Henry Dumortier, Vice President Consumer for Goodyear Europe. “Goodyear’s collaboration on the Golden Sahara II project was our first step in shaping the future of autonomous mobility.”
Developed by Jim Street and legendary custom car designer George Barris, the Golden Sahara II was a platform for testing new electronics systems. It featured a control system with an aircraft-inspired control lever for acceleration, braking and steering and an automatic braking system that used sensors to detect potential objects in the car’s path.
The car’s tires were developed by Goodyear using Neothane, a translucent form of synthetic rubber, and contained internal lighting, which allowed them to glow. This was part of broader research by Goodyear into the feasibility of tires that could help improve visibility in bad weather conditions or be wired to light up when a driver hit the brakes.
“The Golden Sahara II is a unique vehicle and a part of American motoring history,” said Larry Klairmont, founder and owner of Klairmont Kollections, a museum of 300 classic and custom vehicles in Chicago, Illinois. “My team and I are proud to have partnered with Goodyear in bringing this iconic vehicle back to life at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show.”
In its heyday, the Golden Sahara II toured the United States, featuring on television and in films. It then sat in a garage for the best part of 50 years until Klairmont Kollections purchased the vehicle from Mecum Auctions in May 2018. The Golden Sahara II was restored with the help of Speakeasy Customs and Classics in Chicago and was presented at Geneva on four, newly-built Goodyear translucent tires.
“We are truly honored to have once again been a partner in the Golden Sahara II project,” Dumortier added. “Discovery and innovation continue to be the core of what Goodyear does. Working on projects like the Golden Sahara II and the concept tires that we present at Geneva is an opportunity to stretch our imagination and envision the possible products and services of the future.”


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We’re in a bleak time for smartwatches where Motorola seems to be skipping the launch of Android Wear 2.0, Pebble is dead, and things aren’t looking good for the future of Android Wear in general. Now, one of the most popular Android Wear devices has disappeared from the Google Store ─ the Huawei Watch.
The Huawei Watch has proven to be one of the best smartwatch options on the market even though it’s been around for over a year. Offering a beautiful design, premium materials, and fantastic performance, the Huawei Watch was and still is a fantastic piece of hardware. In fact, the Huawei Watch was loved so much that Google made it one of only two Android Wear devices with access to the Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview.
However, the Huawei Watch has disappeared from the Google Store entirely. All variants — including the Women’s versions— have been removed from the Android Wear page and while it is still accessible via a direct link, the watch is still listed as “unavailable.”
This move leaves the Google Store with just five different Android Wear devices available ─ The Moto 360 (2015), Polar M600, Michael Kors Access Dylan & Bradshaw, and the Nixon Mission. Luckily, if you do still want a Huawei Watch, it’s still available from other retailers such as Amazon.
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Plaintiffs suing General Motors Co in connection with faulty ignition switches in its cars have added civil racketeering (RICO) allegations in an amended complaint recently filed in federal court in Manhattan. The plaintiffs accuse the company of conspiring with a law firm and a claims-management company to conceal the defect, which has been linked to 114 deaths.
The plaintiffs seek over $10 billion in damages for deaths, injuries, and economic damages related to the loss in vehicle value. According to Reuters, the amended complaint “proposes certification of a class encompassing anyone who owned or leased a GM-branded car from when the company emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 through 2014, as well as anyone who purchased a car from post-bankruptcy GM.” In addition to the scores of people injured or killed as a result of the defect, the plaintiffs allege that the resulting scandal has tarnished GM’s brand and caused vehicles to lose as much as $4,000 in value. More than 20 million vehicle owners may be implicated if the plaintiffs are successful.
The amended complaint alleges that GM, its outside law firm, King & Spalding, and its claims-management company, ESIS, knew about the ignition-switch defect but covered it up. The racketeering statute involved was originally designed for fighting organized crime but has since been expanded in both criminal and civil matters to apply to a broad range of misconduct.
At Abraham Watkins, we have been representing plaintiffs in product liability actions for over 65 years. If you or someone you know has been injured by a dangerous or defective product, contact one of our attorneys now at 713-396-3964.


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"The perfect smart speaker for the home is easy to describe, and completely elusive. Ask Verge readers what they wanted in an Echo or HomePod, and the majority would likely land on more or less the same features. And after they finished describing it, and went out to buy it, they would learn that it doesn't exist. Can someone build us the speaker of our dreams already?"
Casey Newton, The Verge
This was such a great piece that I included the entire introduction below, but definitely read the whole thing.
"Back in 2006, when the iPhone was a mere rumor, Palm CEO Ed Colligan was asked if he was worried:
“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” What if Steve Jobs’ company did bring an iPod phone to market? Well, it would probably use WiFi technology and could be distributed through the Apple stores and not the carriers like Verizon or Cingular, Colligan theorized.
"I was reminded of this quote after Amazon announced an agreement to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion; after all, it was only two years ago that Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey predicted that groceries would be Amazon’s Waterloo. And while Colligan’s prediction was far worse — Apple simply left Palm in the dust, unable to compete — it is Mackey who has to call Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, the Napoleon of this little morality play, boss.
"The similarities go deeper, though: both Colligan and Mackey made the same analytical mistakes: they mis-understood their opponents goals, strategies, and tactics. This is particularly easy to grok in the case of Colligan and the iPhone: Apple’s goal was not to build a phone but to build an even more personal computer; their strategy was not to add on functionality to a phone but to reduce the phone to an app; and their tactics were not to duplicate the carriers but to leverage their connection with customers to gain concessions from them.
"Mackey’s misunderstanding was more subtle, and more profound: while the iPhone may be the most successful product of all time, Amazon and Jeff Bezos have their sights on being the most dominant company of all time. Start there, and this purchase makes all kinds of sense."
Ben Thompson, Stratechery
"Andrew Ng has likened artificial intelligence (AI) to electricity in that it will be as transformative for us as electricity was for our ancestors. I can only guess that electricity was mystifying, scary, and even shocking to them — just as AI will be to many of us. Credible scientists and research firms have predicted that the likely automation of service sectors and professional jobs in the United States will be more than 10 times as large as the number of manufacturing jobs automated to date. That possibility is mind-boggling."
Ed Hess, Harvard Business Review
"I really like my Amazon Echo, and I think that voice assistants are a big part of the next wave of computing, but that does not seem to be as universal a feeling as one might gather just by reading tech blogs. I like my Echo because it can answer some simple questions and give me some basic information whenever I want it. As the Echo (and Google Home like it) is still pretty new, niche tech at the moment, I’m always interested to hear what non tech-nerds think about this."
Matt Birchler, Birchtree
"Travis Kalanick stepped down Tuesday as chief executive of Uber, the ride-hailing service that he helped found in 2009 and built into a transportation colossus, after a shareholder revolt made it untenable for him to stay on at the company.
"Mr. Kalanick’s exit came under pressure after hours of drama involving Uber’s investors, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, who asked to remain anonymous because the details were confidential."
Mike Isaac, The New York Times


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What you need to know
- Apple staff in its Cork office are choosing to work from home.
- That's amidst fears over both the coronavirus and rubella.
- The first confirmed case of rubella in 11 years was discovered in one of Apple's employees at its Hollyhill, Cork Campus.
Some of Apple's Cork employees are choosing to work from home, over fears concerning both the coronavirus outbreak and a case of rubella.
As reported by The Echo:
Apple staff who are feeling unwell are working from home in Cork amid fears of further rubella cases and concerns over the coronavirus.
The Echo recently revealed that the first confirmed case of rubella in Ireland in 11 years had been discovered in a person who works at the Apple campus in Hollyhill, Cork.
Concerned Apple employees told The Echo they fear the illness could spread while a local GP warned of a possible outbreak.
The first COVID-19 case in Ireland was recently diagnosed, and just a few days ago, the first case of rubella in the country for 11 years was discovered in one of Apple's Hollyhill campus employees in Cork.
According to the report, staff described an air of "unease" due to the situation. It is reported that most staff who are feeling unwell have chosen to stay at home due to concerns about coronavirus, however, "there does remain an unease around the building but no further development of rubella cases".
Apple is working with the Health Service Executive regarding the issue and is confident the risk of either disease spreading is low. Dr. Nick Flynn of Cork HSE Immunisation Steering Group reportedly said of the rubella fears:
"If that person was infectious and they have been out and about around Cork, we could easily be looking at an outbreak...
"As a community, we don't appear to have herd immunity when it comes to measles and mumps - mumps is spreading relatively easily and I've been seeing two or three cases a week and we see the same increase with measles every now and again as well.
"There's no reason we couldn't see a similar outbreak of rubella because that is included in the MMR vaccine and it should, in theory, have the same level of immunity as the other two."
Of course, given the blanket global coverage of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it is tragically ironic that Cork employees must also face concerns regarding the potential outbreak of a disease not seen for 11 years in the country.
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This comprehensive guide begins at Alfava Metraxis and ends at Doctor Who Magazine wins the ACE Press Award 0 Following its record breaking ABC figure earlier this year, Doctor Who Magazine had cause for further celebration at the 2014 ACE Press Awards held https://www.levitradosageus24.com/ viagra bedeutung online apotheke at the Museum of London. This may take a second or two.
Mexico Presents Rosy Picture Over Passport IssueJanuary 30, 2007 By: Mark Rogers Travel Agent
With the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, most of the sturm and drang has been coming out of the Caribbean. The Mexico Tourism Board, which has been comparatively laid back about the new passport regulations, today released figures that forecast reductions in Mexico's international tourism revenues by only 2.2 percent this year. Mexico's Tourism Secretary, Rodolfo Elizondo, reports that the number of Americans who traveled to Mexico by air and did not have passports dropped to six percent by January 2007, in part due to an informational campaign launched last October by the Mexico Tourism Board, with the support of tour operators such as Apple Vacations and Funjet.


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Dessi Cuppa, one of India’s fastest-growing beverage brand, serves Juices, Mocktails, Lassi & Smoothies, has opened its first social distancing café in Madanthapuram, Chennai called Dessi Cuppa, Royce Delights and another outlet in the outskirts Chrompet.
“The demand for new and innovative food dishes and requests from customers, we have Pizza, Burger, Panni and the store’s special Freak Shakes. This new dish made of Traditional Kulfi, called Kulfi Freak shakes. We also have plans to launch more varieties of this product in this store; currently, we have Pista and Badam flavours.” said One of the Brand responsible person, Mr RD.
Dessi Cuppa is an innovation of four foodie friends who have travelled together to taste original foods from different part of the world. The first store was in Porur, Chennai. The success of this store allowed the team to open more stores.
“My family and I are foodies. these were our inspiration for DessiCuppa started. I wanted to provide quality food using all-natural products, hygienic,” said Mr RD, who is the official spokesperson of the organization. “Our absolute commitment to serving the highest quality of items in all Dessi Cuppa stores has led to our success. We opened 161 shops PAN Indian in a span of 11 months after our first shop launch in 2015,” said Mr RD on success.
For those with Smoothie indulgence in mind, Dessi Cuppa has been a preferred place to visit and enjoy. It is spread across India and UAE with over 200 shops. It recently opened a shop in Chrompet, Chennai.
“My current expansion focus is on Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I want to give food with no publicity other than customers’ word of mouth. Most of my franchise partners are those who were my customers in various other branches,” said Mr RD.
Even when interviewing for the article, RD believed people should visit the shops for the brand and not for marketing. RD did not want to disclose his identity as he wanted the brand to be the one proving its worth and not him.
Every product at Dessi Cuppa has its own signature recipe. Each of its recipes is lab tested and is certified to be healthy recipes by the Kerala government. It is known for its Fuljar Soda, Falooda. Dessi Cuppa has been covered by various bloggers, food influencers, and mainstream media for its innovative recipes. Flavour customisation can be done here. For Chocolate lovers, Dessi cuppa provides a wide variety and range of products.
As each season has its own significance, and ingredient’s, DessiCuppa provides varieties of drinks accordingly. The menu includes varieties of options like Thirst Quenchers, Exotic Flavors, Health Packed Drinks available at affordable prices in good quality & quantity.
“We have been visiting Dessi Cuppa since it was inaugurated. It is the best place for quality food at pocket-friendly prices. After a hectic day in college, we would come here for some fresh drinks and foods that fill our stomach at less cost. We attain complete satisfaction. We have come with our friends here and more times with our family,” said a group of friends who are Madanthapuram branches regular customers and doing dentistry within a few kilometres away from the shop.
“We provide complete training support to the staffs. The training would allow the staff to even leave our brand and become an entrepreneur on their own. Our training allows not only the staff to run the shop but also teaches them to be able to stand on their own,” said the brand owner on staff training.
Dessi Cuppa has found itself in every busy corner site in Hyderabad, Kerala, Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Vizag, Dubai and Chennai. It received an award for the 4TH consecutive year Excellence in Brand Franchising Award from “METRO MART “. Apart from this, it has received the best brand award, best customer satisfaction and best beverage award.
To collect these awards, the staffs from the shops have gone to collect them. The reason behind this, the people behind the brand believe staffs are the actual heroes and they are who should be awarded. “This industry is a service industry and without the public support, we could not grow. That is why we have Dessi Cuppa, a well-balanced and well-researched brand recipe,” said RD.
ADVERTISEMENT: India’s leading food product manufacturers Masala Chef. www.thillaismasala.com). wishes Desi Cuppa for their growing area. For collaborations and samples: +91 7397731654 or https://www.facebook.com/masalachef.in


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Verizon has just found a new lane (opens in a new window) for its 5G highway: CBRS, a frequency very close to the C-band that, until now, the carrier has been using for 4G.
In March 2021, we tested Verizon’s 4G over CBRS, getting great speeds of up to 800Mbps. Combining that CBRS could well take those speeds to a gig with Verizon’s C-band, using 5G.
CBRS and C-band both qualify as “mid-band,” frequencies between 1GHz and about 7GHz where you can get a mile or more from a tower, but provide better speeds and capacity. There are wide enough channels available for 4G.
Verizon’s CBRS testing comes on the heels of T-Mobile’s 3-carrier-aggregation (3CA) 5G announcement, where T-Mobile is also looking to find new lanes of mid-band spectrum to stitch together for better performance. Used to be.
What Verizon and T-Mobile have in common is a common desire to sell wireless home Internet service, which uses a lot more data than phones. For that, you need a lot of potential, so they’re working hard to keep that together.
The advantage of CBRS over C-band is that it is available, at least to some extent, everywhere in the country. C-band is currently limited to forty-something “primary economic zones”, with the rest of the country being released for carrier use in 2024. CBRS has ridiculously complicated usage rules, but the end is that Verizon could use some of it almost everywhere.
Verizon will probably use carrier aggregation to let people play one channel of CBRS and one channel of C-band at the same time, where both are available.
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Verizon says it will roll out single base-station units with both CBRS and C-band, and activate each part when it allows.
The new capability will come “soon” to phones that support the “n48” frequency band for 5G, provided they get the right software updates. According to GSMArena (opens in a new window) these include the Apple iPhone 13 line, Google Pixel 6 line, OnePlus 9 and 10 Pro, Samsung Galaxy A13 5G and TCL 30 V 5G. Phonescoop says that the Samsung Galaxy S22 series also includes the n48 (opens in a new window).
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They include Circle of Moms; LivingSocial, which currently has the most popular Facebook app; game developer Zynga; Serious Business, maker of the "Friends For Sale," "Rock Legends" and "Happy Hour" apps; Poolhouse, creator of pet app Dogbook; and Where I've Been, maker of a popular travel app of the same name.
Under the agreements, New York-based appssavvy will exclusively handle direct sales for each of the apps. Outside the biggest app developers such as Slide and RockYou, most don't have internal sales teams pitching their wares to advertisers or agencies. That's where appssavvy comes in, linking brands, developers and Web publishers.
The startup last fall announced raised $3.1 million in first-round venture financing led by True Ventures, and including existing investor Scott Kurnit, cofounder of About.com. --Mark Walsh


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Mothercare says it currently expects to start selling its products through Boots stores and online towards the end of this summer.
The children’s clothing and equipment retailer-turned-brand is in the process of appointing Boots as its exclusive franchisee for the UK. The partnership was first announced after Mothercare’s UK division was put into administration in the autumn. At the time, Mothercare said that it was not able to sell profitably through its UK stores, which all closed as a result of the administration. Instead it embarked on a strategy of selling via franchise partners in more than 40 markets around the world. Initial terms were agreed with Boots in December to become Mothercare’s UK franchisee.
Today it said in an update on its transformation plan that work to finalise a five-year detailed contract with Boots was on track but had inevitably been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We currently anticipate that contractual arrangements will be finalised in late spring and that a wider Mothercare product offer will be available online and in Boots stores from late summer 2020,” it said in today’s announcement.
Mothercare also says that it expects a “material impact” to its short-term revenues as its franchise partners around the world are affected by store closures and as customers stay at home.
It added: “The experience we gained as a result of the controlled supply shock that was exerted upon the business at the time of the administration of Mothercare UK and related store closures last November, is proving invaluable. We are in close dialogue with our franchise partners and our manufacturing partners, as we seek to manage and mitigate the overall impact on both our and their businesses.”
The retailer said it had reduced its bank debt since raising £8.7m from investors in November but that it still had access to its £10m trade partner facility and was working to progress a £20m loan.
Mothercare chairman Clive Whiley said today: “In the current circumstances, we have activated our contingency plans to deal with the challenges that we and others are facing in the current global crisis, focusing on the well-being of our colleagues alongside our ongoing business and corporate liquidity. We continue to enjoy the support of our key stakeholders and financing partners and we are very grateful to them at this unprecedented time.
“We believe that the intrinsic value of our brand, the close contact fostered with our key stakeholders over the last two years and our seamless, deep understanding of the group’s new trading cash flow dynamics, honed over the last six months, will prove to be extremely valuable.
“At this time we believe that our efforts should be focused on helping to preserve the businesses of our franchise and manufacturing partners through even more collaborative ways of working, to ensure both the short term liquidity of our business together with our return to longer term profitability. We are already seeing the benefits of this approach being brought to bear.”
Image courtesy of Mothercare


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On 24 March, the European Commission will officially launch Open Research Europe (ORE), an open access, free-of-charge and high quality publishing platform for scientific papers. The platform offers fast publication and open peer review for research conducted by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe beneficiaries. Open Research Europe is a publishing solution that goes beyond the standard offering of the current journal-based system in a way that is faster, more open and more transparent. The platform opened for submissions of research papers in late November 2020. Follow the new platform on Twitter @OpenResearch_EU
Further information can be found here.
Source: European Commission


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BILLY bookcases, Lack tables and comfy sofas... seemingly everyone in Britain has something from IKEA in their home.
But we aren't convinced the shop's latest item will be quite as popular.
Because it is a rug that looks like a giant IKEA shopping receipt.
And, confusingly, the receipt lists the price of the rug... meta.
Aimed at millennials, the receipt rug hasn't yet been released, but was previewed earlier this month at at an IKEA conference where it is part of the upcoming Markerad collection by designer Virgil Abloh.
Speaking to Dezeen, IKEA's Henrik Most, who is working with Abloh as the creative lead for the collection, said: "Virgil has a fantastic ability to work with essential functions and basic materials and create something new."
He continued: "Each Markerad item is both a design object and a piece with high artistic value."
Abloh added: "I want each item to bring a sense of pride, and I want the great design to be the biggest reason why you get it."
People on social media have different views on the rug.